It’s about 11,000 kilometres from Saskatchewan to India with an ocean in between, but there are many connections binding them together. The goal of a Saskatchewan-led mission trip to India, which is coming to an end this weekend, is to renew and forge new partnerships related to critical minerals, food and water security, post-secondary education and sustainability.

Representatives from post-secondary institutions and the private sector are also on the mission, including USask’s Vice-President, Research. Baljit Singh says he moderated several roundtable discussions around these topics, which the Premier also took part in. The Premier also attended a roundtable on One Health, which Singh describes as the connection between human, animal and environmental health. Canada and India have created an Indo-Canadian Cluster on One Health, and Singh is the Canadian Chair.

Singh also signed Memorandums of Understanding on behalf of USask with various universities in India. He explains that there are a cluster of 6 or 7 top flight agriculture, biotech, engineering and pharmaceutical universities and institutes in northern India, and it’s easier to manage the relationships if they create a hub. There is a Canadian diplomatic office in the same area and the province also opened a trade office in India two years ago. The university also has partnerships with universities in southern India.